This invention relates to automated teller machines (ATMs).
In conventional ATMs, stacks of currency notes are stored in one or more currency cassettes and on receipt of a valid cash withdrawal request from a customer, notes are extracted from the cassettes and transported to a cash dispenser slot in a user console. An ATM is generally capable of dispensing notes of at least two different denominations and separate cassettes are normally provided for notes of each particular denomination.
It is desirable that a low level indication is provided when the number of currency notes remaining within a particular cassette in the ATM reaches a predetermined critical level, which may not be sufficient to guarantee that a typical customer cash withdrawal request can be successfully fulfilled using the notes remaining in that particular cassette. Such an indication is typically provided by a sensor comprising a permanent magnet associated with a pusher assembly which is arranged to urge notes towards an exit end of the cassette from which they are extracted. When the pusher assembly reaches a position in the proximity of the exit end, a reed switch mounted within the ATM is activated by the permanent magnet to indicate that the number of notes within the cassette has reached a predetermined low level. The reed switch is commonly positioned so that a low level indication will be given when approximately 75 to 100 notes remain within the cassette.
In some ATMs, dispensing of notes from a particular cassette is suspended immediately a low level condition is detected, so as eliminate the risk of xe2x80x98short-dispensesxe2x80x99 and so as to minimize the waiting time of a customer who requests an amount of currency which exceeds that contained within the cassette. However in more sophisticated ATM""s, the management software used to control the ATM is capable of determining the residual content of a cassette at any time, on the basis of the number of notes extracted therefrom in previous cash withdrawal transactions. In such ATM""s, dispensing from a cassette may continue after a low level indication has been given for that cassette, if a controller unit of the ATM deems that at least some of the notes required for a particular transaction remain in the cassette.
During a replenishment operation, empty or xe2x80x98low levelxe2x80x99 cassettes are removed from the ATM by an operator and may be refilled on location. However, for security reasons, such cassettes are more commonly replaced by prepared full cassettes and are returned to a financial institution, often at a location remote from the ATM, for replenishment. In fact, during some replenishment procedures, all the cassettes in the ATM are systematically replaced by full cassettes, irrespective of their residual content, so as to maximize the efficiency of the operation. Hence, cassettes containing substantial amounts of money as well as those in a xe2x80x98low-levelxe2x80x99 condition are frequently removed from an ATM during a replenishment procedure. The return of such nonempty cassettes to a financial institution is inefficient, costly and time-consuming, as the cassettes must be emptied and their contents checked before replenishment takes place.
The handling of non-empty currency cassettes is also undesirable due to the security risks involved, including the risk that the cassettes may be tampered with before replenishment takes place. Such fraud may be difficult to detect since accurate checking of residual notes in a cassette can be difficult where the management software used in an ATM is incapable of providing a running indication of the residual contents of cassettes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an ATM in which the above mentioned difficulties are alleviated.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of replenishing an automated teller machine (ATM) in which currency notes are stored in at least one main storage device, characterized by the steps of extracting the residual contents of a main storage device and transferring the extracted contents to an auxiliary storage device, and replacing the empty main storage device with a replenished main storage cassette.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ATM comprising at least one main storage device for storing currency notes and detecting means for detecting the level of residual notes in a main storage device, characterized by at least one auxiliary storage device for receiving and storing currency notes, and transfer means adapted to transfer the contents of a main storage device to an auxiliary storage device in accordance with the detected level of residual notes in the main storage device.
Such an auxiliary storage device may be arranged to dispense notes when they are requested, in preference to the main storage device.
It should be understood that a plurality of auxiliary storage devices may be provided, holding banknotes of different denominations to each other.